Predestination and Human Effort in Salvation and Prayer
The concept of predestination and its relationship to human effort in salvation and prayer is a complex and contested topic among Christian traditions. At its core, predestination refers to God's sovereign plan or purpose of salvation, governing all events [1].
The debate centers on the extent to which human effort contributes to salvation, with some traditions emphasizing God's sovereignty and others highlighting human agency. The Lutheran tradition, as expressed in the Augsburg Confession, affirms that "our will has some liberty to work outward civil righteousness and to choose among the things reason comprehends" but denies that human will "has the power to work spiritual righteousness" without the Holy Spirit [6].
In contrast, the Reformed tradition, represented by Calvin and others, stresses God's sovereignty in predestination, arguing that it is unconditional and based solely on God's good pleasure [4, 7]. According to this view, predestination is not influenced by human merit or foreseen faith. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, notes that predestination is "the eternal choice of [believers] to everlasting life and glory" [11].
The Eastern Orthodox tradition, as represented by John Chrysostom, emphasizes the synergy between God's sovereignty and human freedom. While affirming God's foreknowledge and predestination, Chrysostom also highlights the importance of human response and cooperation with God's grace [10].
The Catholic (Scholastic) tradition, as represented by Aquinas, takes a nuanced view, arguing that predestination can be furthered by the prayers of the saints, which are a part of God's providential plan [5]. This perspective maintains that human prayer and effort are not in vain, as they are part of the means by which God's predestination is accomplished.
Despite these differences, all traditions agree that God's sovereignty and human responsibility are intertwined. Scripture teaches that God is the primary cause of salvation, while human faith and obedience are essential responses to God's initiative [2, 3]. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) articulate this balance, stating that predestination to life is God's "everlasting purpose... to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind" [9].
The hermeneutical commitments and prior doctrinal premises driving these differences include varying interpretations of scriptural passages such as Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:4-5, and 1 Peter 1:2. The Reformed tradition, for example, emphasizes the unconditional nature of predestination based on passages like Ephesians 1:5, while the Arminian/Wesleyan tradition stresses human free will and the possibility of falling from grace [4, 8].
The interplay between predestination and human effort in salvation and prayer remains a rich and complex area of theological debate, reflecting fundamental differences in how Christian traditions understand the relationship between God's sovereignty and human agency.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Predestination — This word is properly used only with reference to God's plan or purpose of salvation. The Greek word rendered "predestinate" is found only in these six passages, Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11; and in all of them it has the same meaning. They teach that the eternal, sovereign, immutable, and unconditional decree or "determinate purpose" of God governs all events. This doctrine of predestination or election is beset with many difficulties. It belongs to the "secret things" of God. But if we take the revealed word of God as our guid”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Election of Grace — The Scripture speaks (1) of the election of individuals to office or to honour and privilege, e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, were all chosen by God for the positions they held; so also were the apostles. (2) There is also an election of nations to special privileges, e.g., the Hebrews (Deut. 7:6; Rom. 9:4). (3) But in addition there is an election of individuals to eternal life (2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2; John 13:18). The ground of this election to salvation is the good pleasure of God (Eph. 1:5, 11; Matt. 11:25, 26; John 15”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — The object of this article will be to touch briefly on-- + The doctrine of Scripture as to the nature and efficacy of prayer; + Its directions as to time, place and manner of prayer; + Its types and examples of prayer. + Scripture does not give any theoretical explanation of the mystery which attaches to prayer. The difficulty of understanding real efficacy arises chiefly from two sources: from the belief that man lives under general laws, which in all cases must be fulfilled unalterably; and the opposing belief that he is master of his own destiny, and need ”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 1:5 (Geneva1599) — Who hath predestinate vs, to be adopted through Iesus Christ in him selfe, according to the good pleasure of his will,”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of Predestination, Art. 8: Article: Whether predestination can be furthered by the prayers of the saints? I answer that, Concerning this question, there were different errors. Some, regarding the certainty of divine predestination, said that prayers were superfluous, as also anything else done to attain salvation; because whether these things were done or not, the predestined would attain, and the reprobate would not attain, eternal salvation. But against this opinion are all the warnings of Holy Scripture, exhorting us to prayer and other go”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), Article XVIII. Of Free Will.: Article XVIII. Of Free Will.”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 61: lay in the Apostle’s mind as he teaches us in Rom. viii. 29, 30 . Different Meanings assigned the Word Predestination. 2. There is an ambiguity in the word predestination. It may be used, first, in the general sense of foreordination. In this sense it has equal reference to all events; for God foreordains whatever comes to pass. Secondly, it may refer to the general purpose of redemption without reference to particular individuals. God predetermined to reveal his attributes in redeeming sinners, as He 321 predetermined to create the heave”
- Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 1:11: In whom - Christ Jesus; also we - believing Jews have obtained an inheritance - what was promised to Abraham and his spiritual seed, viz. the adoption of sons, and the kingdom of heaven, signified by the privileges under the Mosaic dispensation, and the possession of the promised land, but all these privileges being forfeited by the rebellion and unbelief of the Jews, they are now about to be finally cut off, and the believing part to be re-elected, and put in possession of the blessings promised to Abraham and his spiritual seed, by faith; for without a re-elect”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 241: Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified f”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: Index of Scripture References Genesis 1:11 1:11 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:27 1:27 1:27 1:31 1:31 2:2 2:7 2:17 2:17 2:18 2:23 2:24 2:24 2:24 3:5 3:16 3:24 4 4:9 4:14 6:2 6:3 6:4 6:9 6:12 7:7 8:21 12:1 12:4 12:16 13:10 13:10-11 14:14 14:21-23 15:16 16:5 16:6 17:8 18:11 18:12 18:14 18:21 19:13 19:14 19:24 21:10 21:12 21:12 22:7-8 22:16 22:18 22:18 24:1-67 24:22 24:65 25:21 25:21 26:4 27:46 28:1 28:13 31:42 31:45 32:48 35:18 37:9-10 37:20 39:1 39:6 40:4 40:7 40:8 40:14-15 40:22 41 41:16 42:36 43:14 43:30 45:5 48:15-16 49:9 64:28 Exodus 2:11 2”
- 1 Thessalonians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Thessalonians 1:4: Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. Which intends not an election to an office, for this epistle is written not to the officers of the church only, but to the whole church; nor to the Gospel, the outward means of grace, since this was common to them with others, and might be known without the evidence after given; nor does it design the effectual calling, sometimes so called for this is expressed in the following verse as a fruit, effect, and evidence of the election here spoken of, which is no other than the eternal choice of, them to everlasting”